


Birds of a Feather

by Sunbeams_and_Spacedust



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Anxiety, Depression, F/M, Rating May Change, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-14 11:44:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13589349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunbeams_and_Spacedust/pseuds/Sunbeams_and_Spacedust
Summary: After making an impulse decision to move out to the country when she receives the deed to her grandpa's farm, Ophelia realizes she knows nothing about how to run a farm. Maybe the family at the Ranch can help her out?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got the confidence to start posting this! I originally started writing this over Christmas but just got back into writing it and felt good enough about it to post. I SHOULD WARN YOU this is the first fic i've written since I was like 13 so please give me as much feedback as you can to help me! The first few chapters are pretty short and feel kind of rubbish imo but like I said, Feedback is greatly appreciated!! ~Spacer

A duffle bag dropped on old wood flooring, sending up a plume of dust and dirt as it connected with the ground.

"Well, Ophelia, this is it. Home..." a small, timid voice spoke as she glanced around the old, abandoned farmhouse. After years of working in a cramped cubicle for joja, a change had come along like a breath of fresh air. After a particularly rough day of rushing reports and errands to generic black suit bosses, she had remembered the letter her grandfather gave her a few years back, just before he passed away. 

'don't open it yet, my sweet Ophelia. You must wait until a day where you feel crushed by the burden of life.'

Her grandfathers words rung especially loud on that day as she gently ran her fingers over the purple wax seal on the back of the envelope, being careful to peel it off without breaking it, she made sure to cherish everything of her Grandpa, after all. After reading the letter, discovering he had left her the deed to his entire farm land and house for when she desperately needed it, her emotions had taken hold of her, tears streaming rapidly as the cigarette she had been smoking dropped to the floor, ash flittering across the cold concrete. A door opens off to the side, a plain faced man in a suit pokes his head round the door.

"Ophelia, breaks over." Dull words fell on deaf ears. She didn't want to go back inside, she turned to her boss, tears still staining her cheeks.

"I quit." 

_______________________________________

It had taken 3 hours for her to drive from her small apartment on the outskirts of Zuzu city to Stardew Valley, the entire time with a wild smile on her face and music blasting through the radio, She had wasted no time in packing her things and giving up her apartment, and had only told her parents she was leaving when she dropped by their house to leave a few things from her apartment she couldn't fit in her car. 

Her mother was glad she had finally left Joja, mentioning how it was the most she'd seen her smile since before her grandfather passed, her father - being protective of his daughter - tried to get her to stay for a few days, and offered to drive the rest of her things down with her. She had politely declined, only staying long enough for breakfast before saying goodbye, promising to come back up on a weekend soon to visit and pick up the rest of her things.

After arriving in Stardew Valley, she was greeted by the Mayor, Lewis, and the local carpenter Robin. It was a bittersweet moment, as Lewis remembered fond memories of Ophelia's grandfather, and of the occasional memory of her when she would visit as a child during summer. Once the welcome party had left Ophelia on her own, she had stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the old farm house, noticing the wear and tear, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart as she looked at the dust covered window, spotting a small, handmade winter star decoration she remembered making when she was younger.

'Why Ophelia, what a lovely decoration you've made. Can I keep it? I don't think there's room on the tree for this, but I'll keep it right here on the window sill, so all the animals and townspeople can see what a gifted artist you are!'

She wiped away a stray tear with the sleeve of her hoodie as she hoisted her bag higher over her shoulder, making her way up the old stairs to the door, noting how they creaked and moaned with old age. She'd have to ask for Robin's help re-doing the stairs and porch, once she had the funds.

And now she was here. With dust laying silently on her duffle bag, and catching on her shoes, as she looked around at the dark living room, reminiscing fond memories from her childhood at each look around the house. But a yawn had creeped up on her, as had the toll of driving for so long without stopping once, and she spotted the bedroom off in the corner, and felt a nap was well needed as she unceremoniously flopped onto the bed, too tired to care about the stale smell from the sheets as she quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters a lot longer than the first one! All feedback is welcome <3 ~Spacer

Cracking an eye open, she reached blindly for her phone to check the time. 3PM. not that late, she had only been asleep for about 2 hours. A reasonable nap she thought as she got up from bed and stretched, making her way over to her duffle bag and reaching in, rummaging around before pulling out a bottle of water and drinking the whole thing within a few minutes, meanwhile she texted her mother, letting her know she had arrived safely and after standing around for a few minutes trying to wake up more properly, she let out a sigh.

"Guess I should go look around town." She would need to get something to eat at some point anyway, she had been in such a rush to get here she didn't really stop to think about groceries, just packing a few snacks for the ride. She quickly changed her shirt, feeling as though travelling and sleeping in the same shirt made her feel a bit gross, and tied her hoodie around her waist, pulling her long black hair back into a ponytail and headed out down the path towards town.

Despite it being several years since she was last here, she could still vaguely remember the path to town, it was a relatively straight path after all, and in a small town like this, things don't tend to change much, but when she was younger, she was always just excited to get to the destination, rushing through the paths and not really taking in the scenery, but now, she walked slower, taking in all the things she had missed as a child, the bright flowers that spotted the grass, being so taken aback at how tall the trees here were.

Eventually she made her way into town, not really heading in any direction, but just wandering, letting her feet lead the way. After about 5 minutes of aimless walking, she ended up at a bulletin board outside a small shop, she looked at it, seeing all the different notes from townsfolk, making requests and asking for help with small jobs for a little bit of cash, she noted that, it'd be a good way to start making money, she thought. Alongside the notes on the board was a calendar, listing all the holidays and festivals taking place this month, as well as birthdays of all of the townsfolk, flicking through the rest of the calendar, she noticed that there were a lot of people here for such a small town.

She quietly made her way into the shop, peeking her head through the door to get a quick look before jumping at a sudden voice.

"Hello! You must be the new arrival, right?" The man at the counter said with a cheerful smile, after recovering from the minor scare, Ophelia stepped into the shop fully, heading up towards the counter

"Y-yea, I'm Ophelia, I just got here a few hours ago..." She said shyly, looking around the shop as she did, getting a quick idea of the products that were being sold, it looked like the best place to get most of her stuff.

"Well it's nice to meet you Ophelia, my names Pierre, and I run this little general store here, I've got pretty much everything you'd be looking for, you moved into that old farm, if I remember right, yea?" He had a true customer service voice, very chipper, but also genuine she thought, which was a refreshing change from the dull, monotone voices from the co-workers at Joja.

"Yes, that's right... To be honest I got here in such a rush, I forgot how much land there is... I'm not really sure what to do with it all." She said and it was true, while she was driving up here, she had realised that she didn't really know how to start up a farm. Sure she had helped her grandpa when she visited. He taught her how to plant a few seeds, even making a small plot of dirt her own, giving her a few different seeds for her to grow on her own, which she had managed to do successfully, but that was all just for fun, she had no idea how to grow produce to a point where she could make a profit from it.

While she was lost in thought, Pierre had reached behind the counter and pulled up a small box, placing it in front of Ophelia, snapping her back to reality as she looked at the box.

"Well, Mayor Lewis wanted me to help you with that, so he got some seeds to start you off, and I also ordered a book for you, it's pretty much a crash course in gardening, what produce grows in what season, plant care and all that. It should help get you started with the basics at the least! And if you really are struggling, just south of your farm is the Ranch, the owner - Marine- She used to be good friends with the old owner, so I'm sure she'd be able to give you some tips too" Pierre said, handing Ophelia the box as she cautiously took it, making sure to listen to where he said that ranch was, trying to mentally note it all in her head.

"T-thank you! This is so generous, I wasn't really expecting so much help straight off the bat" She said, holding the box tightly, it wasn't heavy at all so she could hold it under one arm

"Well this little town has to stick together, we're such a close knit community, everyone here already knew you'd be turning up and I'm sure everyone will be delighted to meet you" He said as Ophelia gave a nervous smile, she wasn't really a people person, but she was glad that now she knew someone who could help her get her farm going, rather than being thrown head first into it all.

"Well alright then, I better head off and get a start on this book then. It was nice to meet you Pierre" She said politely as she waved off and headed out the store, almost bumping into someone walking by.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't- I didn't see you there! Sorry" She quickly fumbled, nearly loosing grip of her box as she looked up to see who she had nearly collided with. A small, old woman stood in front of her with a smile on her face  
'God if I had actually knocked into her' She thought.

"It's quite alright dear, but you don't look familiar, are you that knew girl by any chance?" 

"U-um, yes ma'am, I am. My name's Ophelia" She responded quickly, glancing around to see if anyone had seen her almost knock over a sweet old lady, thankfully no one was around.

"Oh my there's no need to be so formal dear! I'm Evelyn, but you can call me granny, if you like" She said, placing a hand on her arm gently. Ophelia let out a small breath and smiled. She really wasn't expecting people to be so welcoming, but at the same time old people always tended to be nice, in her experience at least.

"It's nice to meet you, Evelyn. Are you sure you're alright, I didn't knock into you at all?" 

"I'm fine thank you sweetheart, do you need help finding things around town? I'm sure I could get my grandson Alex to show you around" 

"No thank you, I used to come here when I was a child, I can still remember my way around mostly" Ophelia said politely, looking around the surrounding area, everything was so close together in town it was kind of difficult to get lost in the first place, but she had only ever been in the main part of town, so outside of that it was very possible she would get lost, but being thrown into meeting more people and be awkwardly shown around was not something she wanted to do.

"Well alright dear, but if you ever do need anything, I live in that house just over there." Evelyn said, pointing to her house towards the river. As Ophelia looked over, she could see a building in the distance, over the other side of the river, she hadn't noticed it until now but she definitely didn't remember it being there the last time she was here.

"I will, thank you. But I must go, I still have some errands to run" She said, looking back to Evelyn, and it was the truth, she did have to clean up the farm house and start clearing some of the land, but curiosity was picking at her brain and she needed to go see what that building was, so she smiled and waved goodbye to Evelyn politely as they parted ways, and Ophelia headed to the bridge crossing the river. As she got closer to the building she let out an exasperated sigh as she caught sight of that same offending shade of blue as the uniform she had to wear, and the familiar Joja logo to the side of the supermarket.


	3. Chapter 3

_'Jesus I really can't escape this company.'_ She thought as she headed towards the front doors and stepped inside. Well, the upside to this is that there would be a very miniscule part of city life nearby. That and despite hating the company's corporate life, Joja did sell a brand of soda that she could only ever find in their stores. She looked around at the white and blue tiles lining the floor, and the meticulously organised shelves, feeling something akin to being in a hospital.

"Well, I might as well pick up some food while I'm here" She muttered to herself, picking up a basket and beginning to wander up and down each aisle. Despite having her last pay check from Joja with her (as little as it was), her father had insisted on giving her some money for food once she got there.

 _'You always do things so impulsively, you didn't even know you'd be moving until yesterday so you have no money saved up, at least take this and get some groceries when you get there'_ She remembered his words fondly, her dad was always insisting that she move out of her apartment and back in with him and mom. It was tempting at times but she was determined to be independent, and while yes, maybe moving here was a complete impulse decision, it was one that needed to be done, and she had taken the money her dad offered with the promise of bringing back double that in produce from her farm, which her parents gladly agreed to.

She picked up a few necessities and basics from the store, milk, juice, bread etc. A few cleaning products for the house, and about a week's worth of food. After mentally adding up the total, she noted her dad had greatly over compensated with the money he gave her and she had a fair amount left. She paused for a moment, thinking of what else she needed and reminded herself of that soda she liked. Not really knowing where the drinks aisle was in this store, she noticed a store assistant further down the aisle she was in, stacking shelves quietly. She walked up to him, nervousness tugging at her, not really keen on talking to people unless extremely necessary.

"U-um. Excuse me... Do you know where the drinks aisle is?" She asked softly, she was sure that he hadn't heard her before he let out a sigh and looked at her, he looked as if he had been asked this question 10 times today alone and was just ready to give up. There were dark circles under his eyes and a few scruffs of dark hair poking out from under his joja hat.

'He looks kind of a mess' She thought to herself, glancing at his name tag, Shane. He clearly did not want to be here or to have any interaction with people.

"Far aisle over there" He pointed in the direction towards the back of the store. "You can't miss it, there's a huge sign that says 'Drinks'." He said sarcastically, as if she was stupid for not knowing. Rather than be that customer and call him out for being rude, Ophelia just smiled politely, thanked him and headed off in the direction he had pointed. He rolled his eyes and got back to work stacking products on the shelf.

It only took a few moments for Ophelia to make a beeline for the shelf with her soda and she picked up 2 large bottles and put it in her basket. Content that she had everything she needed, she started making her way down the rest of the aisle towards the till, passing the wall of booze, she stopped as she caught sight of a brand of rum she used to drink on weekends with a friend from work. She looked at the price, affordable. It'd probably be cheaper to buy her own alcohol than going to a bar, she thought as she picked up the bottle and went to pay for her shopping.

it was 5PM by the time she got back to the farm with her shopping and package from Pierre in tow, placing the bags on the kitchen counter carefully, she started putting everything away, leaving the cleaning items out as she'd start cleaning the house after she'd had something to eat. Not really feeling like cooking something from scratch, she just stuck one of the frozen pizza's she'd bought in the oven, setting the timer on her phone and started noting what needed cleaning.

 _'The floors look like they'd be relatively easy to clean, nothing really seems like it'd be difficult to clean, it'll just take a long time. There's a lot of dust.'_ She thought to herself as her eyes fell on the box Pierre had given her, she walked over to it and opened it pulling out a packet of seeds with a sticky note attached

_'Here's some Parsnip seeds to get your farm started! They're one of the easiest things to grown in spring,_   
_Good Luck!_   
_Lewis'_

Fair enough. She set the seed packet on the table and pulled out the book Pierre had given her and started to flick through it. It certainly seemed like it would be useful. Listing all the different kinds of tools needed, how to till soil and all that jazz. Ophelia kept reading through, noting bits she thought would be important until the timer went off. She set the book down and got her Pizza from the oven, picking the book back up to keep reading while she ate.

After dinner she had decided to skip the cleaning till tomorrow, all she wanted to do was take a shower and go to sleep, almost falling asleep at the table, so she cleared up and picked up the duffle bag she had left by the door and took it into the bedroom, pulling out her pyjamas and bathroom necessities, having a shower before getting comfortable and falling into bed, setting an alarm on her phone and quickly settling into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

No one ever came up to him while he was at work until today. He always managed to look like he'd bite the head of anyone who tried to talk to him and it always worked. So you could imagine Shane's surprise when someone had walked up to him, asking about where the drinks were. He sighed, _really?_ Everyone who comes into this store knows where everything is, is someone playing a joke? did someone get dared to come up to him and ask him a stupid question to get a rise out of him? He looked towards whoever had asked the question with the intention of telling them to get bent, it was probably one of the other assholes from town, he wasn't really paying attention, but before he could say anything he stopped in his tracks.

In front of him was this small, fragile looking girl, with long black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a band t-shirt and grey jeans, a hoodie tied round her waist. He'd never seen her before, who the fuck even is this? He thought back to this morning before he left for work, remembering Marine excitedly talking to Lewis, hearing him talk about someone new moving in to the farm up north from them, someone who knew the old guy who had it or something, he didn't care. He was too occupied by the hangover he had from the previous night, begrudgingly pushing through the permanent dull pain in his head to pull his uniform on and leave for work, as much as he'd rather stay in bed.

She was still stood there, staring at him. Right, fuck she asked where the drinks were. Idiot.

"Far aisle over. You can't miss it, there's a huge sign that says 'Drinks'." He said, pointing to the aisle at the back, hoping his response would discourage her from talking to him any more than necessary and leaving him alone. He was half expecting the usual comment of 'no need to be rude' or 'geez what an ass' etc, but she just smiled at him, said thank you and went on her way.

Whatever, he went back to stacking shelves, glancing at the clock above the front of the automatic doors. Half an hour left. At least he could go to the saloon soon, the need for a drink growing more as each minute passed. Not long after he had sent the new girl on her way, he finished unpacking the box of tins on the shelf and picked up the box to take it back to the stock room. As he was walking to the front of the aisle he saw her at the till, spotting the bottles of soda she had picked up, noticing another bottle in front of them that wasn't soda, but he couldn't make out what it was. Probably water he assumed and carried on, not paying another thought to her.

After his shift he headed straight for the saloon, immediately signalling for a beer to Gus, the owner, as he headed over to his usual spot by the fireplace. After a few hours and several more beers, the buzz of alcohol was steady enough for him to call it a night, he did try to make sure his hangovers during the work week were at least manageable, the ache dull enough that he remembered that he hated his job through the day.

He wasn't expecting anyone to be awake when he got back to the ranch, but much to his surprise, the light in the kitchen was still on, closing the front door quietly behind him, he made his way through the front room cautiously, trying not to stumble over himself to find Marnie sat at the kitchen table with a pen and paper.

"Oh! Shane, you're back earlier than usual, good. I wanted to ask something of you" She asked, setting the pen down and standing up. Shane merely sighed in response and leaned against the door frame to his room, clearly wanting to be left alone.

"I need you to take this letter up to the new girl, Ophelia, at the farm up north. She just moved in today and I wanted to let her know to drop by when she gets the chance. I would take it myself but I have my hands full with the animals... If you could just drop it by her house tomorrow morning before you go to work?" She said, picking the piece of paper up and folding it before placing it in an envelope and holding it out to Shane, who just groaned and took the envelope before retreating into his room, closing the door behind him, leaving Marnie alone in the kitchen. She sighed, cleaning up the table before switching the light off and heading into her own bedroom.

Shane put the envelope on his bedside table, he would rather not take it, It just means he'd have to get up earlier to take a longer route to work. But he knows that if he doesn't take it then he'll no doubt get some lecture from Marnie as usual, and honestly he'd rather not bother with it all and just sleep through everything. He reached into the bedside drawer, pulling out a flask and opening it to take a swig from it before stashing it back in the drawer. He got out of his uniform and threw himself on the bed, feeling the world around him spinning.

Another sleepless night as per usual. He had drifted off a few times during the night, but ended up waking up with the burning need to either throw up or drink more, and endless cycle that carried on until it was 6AM. He groggily pulled himself up from bed, getting up and stumbling into the bathroom where he kept a glass by the sink, filling it with water and grabbing an aspirin from the cabinet behind the mirror, throwing it back and chugging the water to hopefully calm the headache for a few moments. He sat back on the edge of his bed and ran his hands through his hair, why is he even doing this? He hates everything about his life, his job, the same routine he went through everyday only to drink to try to forget it all. The only things that brought him some form of happiness was his god-daughter Jas, and looking after the Chickens in the coop out back. Other than that, he found no point in even waking up.

He glanced over to the alarm clock by his bed and saw the envelope besides it. Right, that farmer girl. What was her name? He had already forgotten, and didn't care enough to remember. With a sigh he heaved himself off the bed and went through his morning routine, and once he was dressed in his Joja uniform, he picked up the envelope and shoved it in his pocket before leaving his room. As he made his way through the kitchen, Marnie and Jas were both sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Jas smiled up at him.

"Good morning Uncle Shane!" She said happily, mouth filled with cereal as Marnie tutted at her.

"Jas, don't talk with your mouth full, It's bad manners" She said sternly as Shane walked up to Jas and patted her head, making sure not to ruin her hair, he remembers how upset she gets if her hair gets ruined.

"Mornin' kiddo. You got a fun day of school ahead?" He asked, walking over to the fridge to grab whatever he could microwave to eat.

"Yes! Miss Penny is taking us to the Library! I get to pick the book we read today!" She beamed, that kid loved learning, Shane thought. He managed a small smile at her. He was glad that she was learning, she had a bright future ahead of her unlike himself.

"Shane, you haven't forgotten that letter I asked you to deliver, have you?" Marnie asked, looking concerned at the dark circles under Shane's eyes as he pulled his food out of the microwave, it looked like a slice of leftover pizza, and headed towards the front door

"It's in my pocket, I'm taking it now." He said, not waiting for a response as he closed the door behind him and started making his way up the path to the farm.


	5. chapter 5

The land was so overgrown, Shane had to step over random branches and sift through tall grass just to get anywhere near the house.

_'Nothing can make this shit worth it, should have just made Marnie deliver the letter herself'_ He thought, eventually making his way to a point where he no longer had to step over or walk around obstacles. As he got closer to the farm house he could see the farmer just outside, her car parked next to it with the trunk open, filled with boxes, Ophelia currently pulling a particularly big box out of the car. Shane walked up to her, certain that she would have heard his footsteps as she turned around with the box, but as she turned around, the Box covered her entire field of vision.

_'Great, well let's just get this over with'_ He thought as he walked up to her.

"Uh. Hey" He said, just loud enough to hear, but it still caused her to jump, not expecting a voice and nearly toppled over with the box, but managing to get her balance and put the box on the floor, Shane winced as he witnessed this, not thinking he had snuck up on her. He waited a moment as she caught her breath back, clearly being caught completely off guard.

"O-oh my god. I-I-I had no idea yo-you were there" She stuttered, holding a hand over her chest as if that would slow her heart from beating a million miles a minute. Shane scratched his head, shoving his other hand into the pocket with the envelope and pulled it out.

"Uh, look, I just have to give you this letter, it's from Marnie, she runs the Ranch down that way" He said, motioning in the direction of the Ranch before holding the letter out to her. She moved around the box and took the letter carefully from him.

"W-wait. Didn't I see you at Joja-mart yesterday?" She questioned, realizing that his face looked familiar. He sighed, putting his hands back in his pockets. He'd be late for work if he hung around any longer than he had to.

"Yea, you did, and I'd rather not be late. So, you have the letter. I've done my job, I'm leaving" He said, walking towards the path into town, not bothering to look back.

"Oh o-okay! Bye!" She shouted after him and sighed after not getting any acknowledgement. She paused for a moment before opening the letter.

_'Ophelia,_

_Mayor Lewis told me of your arrival yesterday and I just wanted to extend a warm welcome to our little town! I was close friends with your grandfather and would love to invite you down to the Ranch to properly introduce myself. I'm free anytime between 9AM-6PM, so feel free to pop in whenever you like!_

_Kind Regards_

_Marnie'_

She has a vague memory of Marnie coming over to the farm when she was a kid. She never met her though, she was far too shy to talk to anyone who came over and usually went out into the coop to sit with the chickens and ducks. She looked back at the open trunk of her car, it was about half empty, the only things really left in there were some boxes of clothes. So she picked the box she had first taken out off the floor and heaved it inside the house before checking the time on her phone.

_'7:30AM. Okay, that's fine. I'll finish unpacking the car and get started on clearing some of the grass around the farm and go over about noon. I don't want to go over at 9AM exactly and seem too eager'_ She thought as she stretched her arms, She hadn't got much sleep and had been out of bed since 4AM and gone through her grandfathers old shed, digging up most of his gardening tools and cleaning them off, she wanted to plant the parsnip seeds she got yesterday but there was a lot of overgrowth everywhere so she would need to clean up some space before she could start planting things. So she brushed her hair out her face and got back to work.

 

Noon came along quicker than she thought. She had turned on music on her phone while working and lost track of time, a message from her mother bringing her back to reality, as she answered the text the time read 12:15PM so she went back inside, grabbed a bottle of water and headed south towards the ranch, noting how much more overgrowth there was the further down the farm she got, it would take a long time to get this all done by herself.

Eventually she reached the Ranch, marvelling at just how big it was, with an open fenced area out the front with a few animals roaming about, as she walked up to the fence a cow slowly plodded up to her and Ophelia cautiously moved her hand towards it to give it a gentle pat on the nose. After having a nice little encounter, she walked up to the front door and gave it a gentle knock, it only took a few moments before the door swung open.

"You must be Ophelia! Oh I've been so excited to meet you! Do come in dear, would you like anything to drink? Or I can whip you up something to eat" She said, ushering Ophelia inside. After a few moments of shock at being greeted so quickly she recovered her composure and smiled.

"No thank you, I have water with me, and I couldn't ask you to make me anything" She said, holding up the water bottle in her hand.

"Well if you're sure. But please, come sit. You must tell me how you've been settling in, have you met everyone in town yet? Everyone's been so excited to have someone new move in" Marnie babbled excitedly as they both sat at the kitchen table. Ophelia giggled quietly, Marnie reminded her of her dad, always asking questions about how she's doing at breakneck speed any time she visited. It was quite endearing, and she was glad for the familiarity.

"It's a bit odd knowing that I live here now, I've only ever been here for a few weeks at a time when I would visit grandpa. But no, I haven't met everyone yet, I've only met Robin, Lewis.. Uh.. Pierre? Yea, um... Evelyn and Shane" Ophelia said, taking a few seconds after each name to make sure she remembered correctly.

"Oh yes I had sent Shane with that letter earlier, he wasn't too rude to you, was he? He doesn't really like talking to people" Ophelia noted a small look of concern in her eyes as she waved a hand.

"N-not at all! He just seemed to be in a hurry to get to work was all" She said, thinking for a moment. "Does he live here?"

"Yes, he's my nephew. He lives here with his god-daughter Jas. And please, if he is ever rude to you, don't take it to heart, he... well he doesn't really get along with other people" She said, a sad look in her eye, lasting for only a few moments before she perked back up.

"Well, since there's still a lot of people left for you to meet, why don't we go walk about and I'll introduce you to the town? It must feel a bit daunting to talk to so many people by yourself" She offered. Ophelia hesitated, she did not like the idea of being around so many people in one day, but Marnie was right, it would be terrifying to try and meet that many people by herself, so she agreed and they headed out.

They walked slowly towards the town, pointing out the house of Leah, the woodcarver that lives opposite the Ranch, and as they were walking Marnie told her about all the parties and dinner evenings that Ophelia's grandfather used to have when he ran the farm and how everyone in the town adored him. Marnie introduced Ophelia to Jodie and her kids (well, kid and adult) Vincent and Sam, and told her how their father was currently off with the forces fighting in a war. Ophelia said she understood, her father was in the air force when she was a little girl.

They moved on and met Haley and Emily, the sisters that lived next door to Jodi, and Ophelia got along well with both of them, conversation flowing very naturally. Marnie had pointed that out as they had moved on further into town and Ophelia mentioned that they reminded them of some old college friends she used to have, how they were similar in personalities. She was glad that there were at least a few people that she felt she could make friends with, the idea of living alone with no one to talk to seemed a bit scary.

After about an hour, Marnie had taken Ophelia all over the valley, and introduced her to almost everyone bar a few people who weren't around. Marnie said Sebastian sometimes went into Zuzu city, and Penny was teaching the younger kids, and Elliot only seemed to leave his cabin every now and then, but Marnie assured her that she would see them all eventually and they started the walk back towards the farm.

Marnie gave Ophelia some tips that her grandfather had told her about farming and invited her over for dinner in a few days on the weekend. Ophelia had accepted, feeling more relaxed around Marnie than she'd been since she arrived. Once they reached the farm, Ophelia offered to make her a coffee but was politely declined, explaining that Jas would be home from school soon and Shane was still at work so someone had to be in the house with her. So they waved each other off as Marnie left back for the ranch and Ophelia went inside, busying herself with unpacking the boxes she had brought in earlier that day.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday soon came around the corner, and Ophelia had settled in considerably through the week, managing to clean the house, unpack and begin growing her parsnip seeds which were coming along well, thanks to her meticulous following of the book and constant checking in with Marnie to make sure she was doing everything right. She had even managed to clear a considerable amount of overgrowth and debris from the land, now making clear paths from the house in to town, up to the mountains, and down to the ranch. Halfway through the week, Ophelia had run into Emily in town and they got talking, she found out that Emily works with Gus in the saloon, and that she should swing by. With Friday being the busiest day, it would be a good place to make new friends. Now that Friday was here, anxiety was beginning to set in as she sat on the steps to her house, lighting a cigarette.

_'What if no one actually wants to talk to me? I bet they'll all be busy talking to their own friends to make time for me. I'll probably look desperate trying to talk to anyone'_ She thought, taking a long drag and flicking the cigarette, causing the small pillar of ash to fly off into the wind.

_'Even if I don't talk to anyone, I can still get a drink... I finished that bottle of rum a few days ago...'_ And a decision had been made, she got up, picking up the hoodie she had beside her and slipped it on, making her way to the saloon.

"You made it!" A familiar voice through the noise of the already busy saloon as Ophelia walked up to the bar to greet Emily

"Yep! I know you said this place would be busy, but I wasn't expecting this!" She said, leaning over the counter slightly to make sure she was heard properly. She looked down the bar and saw Pierre enjoying a drink while talking to Gus, and further down, saw Shane, stood by the fireplace while nursing a beer, not talking to anyone, just minding his own business and looking at his phone. Past that she could see through to the other room where there was a pool table, currently occupied by Sam, Abigail and some edgy looking kid, she assumed that was Sebastian, going off of Marnie's description of him.

"So, Ophelia, what can I get you?" Emily asked, leaning on the counter.

"Oh! Rum and cola please!" Ophelia responded, realising she had been people watching for a bit too long

"Gotcha! Comin' right up!" Emily walked off to grab a glass and make her drink.

A hand was placed gently on the Ophelia's shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her seat, spinning round to see who had touched her.

"Oh Yoba, I'm so sorry! I didn't think I'd scare you!" Marnie gasped as Ophelia sighed, clutching her chest and laughing nervously.

"N-no no don't apologize I just wasn't expecting I-it" She said, pushing back a handful of hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"Well I'm sorry none the less. How are you today?" Marnie sat down at the bar next to Ophelia

"I'm good. Got a lot of work done today and Emily had invited me to come to the saloon so I thought it would be good to relax for a few hours"

"Yes well the saloon is always a good place for that! You're still alright to come to the ranch for dinner tomorrow, right?"

"Oh of course! I'm looking forward to it!" She beamed, quietly thanking Emily as she placed her drink in front of her. The door opens and Mayor Lewis walked into the saloon and Marnie sat up.

"That's great! I'll have dinner ready around 5PM so you can come over any time before that. I'll leave you alone now, enjoy your night Ophelia!" She said as she got up and headed over to greet Lewis, the two of them walking over to sit at a table together while Ophelia sighed contently and took a large swig from her drink, taking a minute to enjoy the feeling of the cola's fizz at the back of her throat.

She glanced over at Shane again, he seems kind of out of place, just there by himself.

_'I mean, shit I'm here alone too but at least I'm talking to people, he looks like he'd rather be hit by a bus than be here.'_ she thought, taking another drink and looking away before he caught her staring.

Over the next few hours Ophelia started to relax around the full bar, steadily ordering her drinks, having about 4 in total, but through the night noticing that Shane had managed to drink double that in beer, but didn't pay it much mind as she got up, paid her bill and said goodnight to Emily and Marnie as she left the saloon. Stepping out brought more of a chill than she was expecting compared to the warm interior of the saloon and she pulled her hoodie tighter around herself as she reached into the pocket to pull out a cigarette and light it, sitting on the bench just next to the building.

There were more stars in the sky here, she noticed. The air pollution in the city was just too thick to ever let any stars through, the clouds always tinted a dirty orange due to the mass of street lights on in her area. But here, the sky was like an ocean of stars, bringing both a calmness and a fear with it as she gazed, taking slow drags from her cigarette. Once she'd finished it, snubbed it out and got up, stumbling a little as the buzz of alcohol took hold of her a bit more than she would have liked, and walked back home for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the updates are so sporadic! I'm in the middle of my final year project for university and I'm trying really hard to get an A! I have up until chapter 13 (14? idk) written so I'll be able to keep posting for a while whenever I find a spare moment!
> 
> Please let me know if you like the fic! I'm always looking for feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome! <3 ~Spacer

As the morning came, so did the dull pulse of a hangover. Ophelia groaned, dragging her body out of bed and into the kitchen to get a drink.

_'Wonderful'_ She thought _'The one day I'd appreciate not having a hangover'_.

Despite thinking she had finished off her bottle of rum, she came back from the saloon last night to find it still with about a quarter of the bottle left, and after working up a horrid case of anxiety about going to Marnie's for dinner the next day, ended up clearing the bottle off along with several more cigarettes before collapsing into bed.

She checked the time as she sipped on the glass of water she poured.

"Shit" It was almost 4PM, not a lot of time to recover from a hangover and get to the ranch. She finished off her water and pushed herself off the counter she was leaning against and made her way to the bathroom and showered quicker than she would have like to, the embrace of warm water being far too tempting to leave so quickly. Rather than fussing over what to wear, just grabbed the first thing she had folded up in her drawers; a knee length, dark grey dress with a thin, white belt. She plodded back into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, pulling and poking as she examined her hair, it was so obvious she was hanging; Dark circles under the eyes which were also bloodshot to hell and back, not to mention her hair was a mess. She quickly dragged a brush through it and decided to hold it back with a white ribbon, tied with a bow at the top. It was simple, and she really didn't have time to worry about it as she walked to the kitchen, downed another glass of water before slipping some shoes on, grabbing her phone and making the walk down to the Ranch.

It was 4:30PM by the time she had reached the Ranch, a reasonable time to arrive, she felt as she knocked on the door and waited. When it opened there was a small little girl at the door, almost hiding behind the frame as she looked Ophelia over.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly, Ophelia bent down slightly and smiled.

"My name's Ophelia, I live on the farm near here, Marnie had invited me over for dinner. Is it okay if I come in?" She had to put on her best 'I'm a nice adult' voice, years of babysitting jobs as a teenager had meant she was good at dealing with children, and she liked kids for the most part. Jas hid behind the door a bit more before running off into the kitchen, leaving the door open. Ophelia peeked her head in just as Marnie came out of the kitchen.

"I thought I heard you! Come in, please! I see you met Jas, she's a little shy around strangers but she'll warm up to you eventually." She said as Ophelia stepped inside, closing the door behind her, the whole house smelled of home cooking, she smiled as she followed Marnie back into the kitchen.

"I hope you like pasta, Ophelia. It's my grandmothers recipe! It'll be ready in about 10 minutes if you'd like to make yourself at home" Marnie said cheerfully as she went back over to the stove to attend to her cooking.

"I love pasta! I'd eat it for every meal if I could, but I've never been good at cooking it myself. I can never get the timing right" Ophelia replied, sitting down at the kitchen table, looking as Jas had sat across from her and was drawing a picture.

"Oh I'll have to teach you, it's ever so easy, but people often get confused since different pasta take different amounts of time to cook"

"that'd be nice. I'm usually good at cooking but pasta just seems to be my Achilles heel" Jas looked up, confused.

"What's an.. Chillies Heel?"

"An _Achilles Heel_ " She sounded out "It's basically a fancy word for something you're not good at" Jas smiled.

"I'm not too good at cursive writing... Does that count as an Ak-ill-ees heel?" She tried copying how Ophelia said it when she sounded it out and she let a small giggle slip.

"Yes! That's right! You really got the hang of it!" Jas beamed at the praise, excited that she had learned a new word.

"Aunt Marnie! Did you hear that! I learned a new word!" Jas said, throwing her arms up as if Marnie hadn't heard the whole conversation as she smiled at her.

"You did! Well done, why don't you go get Uncle Shane from his room and let him know dinner's ready, then you can tell him about the new word you learnt"

"Okay!" She jumped down from the chair and ran off to knock on his door while Marnie started dishing up the food and bringing it over in a large bowl to the table.

"Ophelia could you do me a favour and grab some bowls from the cabinet by the fridge please?" Marnie asked, moving back to make sure the cooker was turned off and that all the pots were away from the edge.

"Of course!" She said as she got up and went over to the cabinet to get the bowls.

 

 

Shane was slumped on his couch, controller in hand playing video games as a gentle knock came at his door.

"Come in Jas" He said, pausing the game, Jas was the only one who ever knocked quietly in the house, so it was easy to tell when it was her. The door flung open and Jas ran inside the room, launching herself onto the couch beside him

"You're eager kiddo, what's up?" He put his controller down, full attention now on her

"Marnie said dinners ready! You have to come now, I need to tell you about the new word I learned! It's a really big fancy word but you have to come to dinner first!" Shane chuckled as he stood up, picking her up with him, earning a squeal from Jas at the sudden lift and giggled.

"Alright, let's go then" He lifted her onto his shoulders and carried her through to the kitchen, stopping as he noticed someone else in the kitchen with Marnie. He wasn't aware that there'd be someone else here too. Or maybe he was. He vaguely remembers Marnie saying something about it. Ophelia turned around with the bowls from the cabinet in hand and smiled at Shane as she set them on the table.

"Oh, She hasn't spoiled the word she learnt already has she?" She beamed, brushing some hair over her shoulder as she sat back down in her chair. Shane lifted Jas off his shoulders and ushered her to her seat and sat down himself opposite her.

"No..." He responded, looking to Marnie with a look that clearly said 'Why is she here?' and she Huffed.

"Oh Shane you haven't forgotten already, I told you Ophelia was coming over several times today"

"No, I remembered" He lied. Ophelia, so that's her name. No doubt he'll eventually forget it after a few drinks and not care enough to remember it again, but for now, he'd at least try to remember it to avoid embarrassment.

"So kiddo, what word did you learn?" He asked as Marnie began serving up the pasta into everyone's bowls and passing them round.

"It's.. uh.." In her excitement had forgotten the word and looked to Ophelia for help

"Ah..." She started the word and Jas shot up again

"Oh! Ak-ill-ees Heel!" She sounded the word out, and looked again to Ophelia for approval and grinned back at Shane when she nodded that it was right.

"Oh wow, that is a big word. When did you learn that?"

"A few minutes ago! Miss Ophelia was talking about pasta and told me what it means" Shane looked to her quizzically as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't cook pasta for the life of me" She responded as Shane nodded.

"Also Marnie, this pasta is incredible, this is the best sauce I've ever had!" She praised taking another forkful that maybe had a bit more pasta than it should have on it

"Thank you! Grandparents recipe's always seem to be the best ones to follow" She said as Ophelia hummed in agreement.

While they were all happily eating, Shane kept sneaking the odd glance at Ophelia while she wasn't looking, noting her appearance.

_'She looks like she just woke up.. Either that or she has a hangover. Nah, pretty sure she was only drinking soda at the saloon...'_ He thought, noticing the all too familiar dark circles and bloodshot eyes that seemed to be permanent features of his own.

Not wanting to look like he was staring, he moved his attention back to his food as the idle chit chat at the table continued on.

"So how are your parents, Ophelia?" Marnie asked after a few moments of silence.

"Oh they're fine. Kind of shocked when I had turned up at their house saying I was moving here. It was kind of an impulse decision if I'm honest. Mom was glad I had decided to change my lifestyle, dad tried to get me to stay at theirs for a few days and help me move down."

"Why were you so eager to move here then?"

Ophelia paused for a moment "Well... before Grandpa uh" She looked to Jas, wondering if she knew anything about her grandpa or even death for that matter. "Um.. Moved on..."

_'Great wording, idiot.’_

"He left me a letter, told me not to open it until I was having a _really_ bad day. I hated the job I was at before I moved, so one day I opened the letter, and saw he had left the whole farm for me for when I needed a change. Quit my job the same day... It seems so long ago now, but now that I think about it... It was only about a week and a half ago... So yea. Pretty impulsive" she laughed nervously, feeling as though she had brought the cheery mood around the table down considerably. Marnie put a hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly.

"Well you certainly seem a lot happier here, I'm sure your parents must be proud of you, taking such an independent decision for yourself like that" She said as Ophelia smiled back, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Shane had a sour look on his face, digging his fork into his pasta a little more forceful than he should.

Once everyone had finished the meal, Marnie had stood up to start clearing the table, Jas had gone back to drawing the picture she was working on before dinner and Shane had sulked off to his room un-noticed.

"let me help you with the dishes" Ophelia said, helping clear up the bowls and glasses

"Oh no you don't need to worry about that, you're a guest here after all"

"I insist, it's the least I can do after such a wonderful meal" She said, as Marnie eventually accepted and they both began clearing up. Meanwhile Ophelia had seen Shane slip out of his room with his jacket on, leaving out the front door.

"So.. Um. Is Shane usually so quiet?"

"Unfortunately.. He only ever seems to be happiest around Jas and the animals here. Other than that I can hardly ever get a smile out of him."

"Surely he hasn't been like that his whole life?"

"No, he was such a bright, young child." Marnie lowered her voice "He didn't grow up in the best of homes however.. His mother - My sister - Was never suited to motherhood, and his father was hardly a good role model. But He only ever started going downhill a few years ago. I know he hates it when others are told about his personal life, but he didn't end up here under the best of circumstances..." She looked to Jas sadly.

"Her parent's passed away a few years ago..." Marnie whispered, sure that Jas couldn't hear "Poor Shane, he was such close friends with them, they had named him god-father but I don't think anyone had ever expected it to be needed, and suddenly he's responsible for a child. He loves her to pieces, there's no doubt about it. But like his mother, he's not taking parenthood so well. What happened was so recent-"

"You don't need to tell me. I won't pry about something so personal." Ophelia said, looking into the soapy water in the sink as she cleaned the rest of the dishes quietly. Once the kitchen was all clean, Ophelia thanked Marnie for the meal, said her goodbye's to Jas and left the Ranch and sighed once she was out of earshot.

_'My fucking head kills.’_ She rubbed at her temples, stopping after feeling something cold land on her forehead, and again, and again.

_'And now it's raining. Wonderful.'_

Before turning towards the path back home, she heard a noise over towards the lake. She turned and squinted, being able to make out a figure sitting on the dock, spotting a bright blue jacket, she started walking towards them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry these updates are so far and few between! I really am in the thick of my university work so that's my main focus at the moment! But my Easter holidays are coming up soon so I should have some free time to post more frequently! Thanks for being patient ~Spacer

Shane crushed another can against the dock flooring, putting it behind him as he pulled another can from the six pack he had brought with him, cracking it open, taking a swig and sighed.

_'As if she just quit her job last week.'_ He thought. He was only partially listening in on their conversation at dinner, not really interested in participating, but Marnie praising her for taking such good control of her life had turned his mood from bad to worse. He envied the fact that she had her life together, took action and left the job she hated and moved on an impulse to start a new life, while he was stuck in a job he loathed and he couldn't find it in himself to get out of bed most days. Any positive thoughts he had about her had gone out the window.

"M-mind if I join you?" A soft, quiet voice came from behind him. He didn't need to turn to know it was her. Not really having much of a choice, he motioned to the space next to him on the end of the dock. He saw how, as she sat down and swung her legs over the edge, her feet came nowhere near the water, while his were almost touching it. She looked ahead over the lake quietly, not speaking to him at all. He leaned behind him, grabbing one of the cans of beer and silently held it out to her.

Ophelia looked at the can as it was held out. She wasn't really a fan of beer... But at this point she'll drink anything to dull her headache, so she takes the can and opens it.

Shane sighed, looking down into lake below, watching as tiny raindrops created ripples in the water, landing so softly that it was almost as if it was some intricate, coordinated dance.

"Are you okay?"

He let out a mirthless laugh.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't know... It's polite? I could tell you wished I didn't show up for dinner at all."

A sigh, he furrowed his brow as he took a drink from his can, setting it down on the dock beside him. She was right, either that or he wished he had come up with an excuse to get out of it. Maybe say Morris needed him back at Joja for something. It wouldn't be the first time it'd happened. He felt his hands tingle and the warmth of the beer course through his body. He rubbed his face with a hand.

"yea well, I wished a lot of things would have happened.." He could feel her eyes on him, she probably felt sorry for him. I bet half of this town had already told her what a pathetic mess he was.

"You ever feel like... no matter what you do, you're gonna fail..." He said, still watching the rain fall into the lake, he could see her look forward, her face blank.

_'She doesn't even want to talk to me. She looks so uninterested. I bet-'_

 

"Constantly."

 

It was said so softly. If the rain was any louder, her voice would have surely gotten lost in it, but he heard her and glanced at her.

"It's like you're stuck in some miserable abyss" He carried on "And you're so far down you can't even see the light of day." She stayed silent, and he picked up his beer again, swirling the can around in his hand slowly.

"I don't feel like I'm strong enough to get out of that hole." He finished, and he took a swig from his beer. He looked over at Ophelia and noticed her grip on her can had tightened, almost putting dents in the aluminium where her fingertips were. She tilted the can back and chugged what he guessed was half of the can in one go. Sighing once she brought the can back down.

"Fast drinker? A woman after my own heart" He smirked, finishing off his own can. He looked to Ophelia, the rain had soaked her hair, and she was starting to shiver from the cold. She had a small smile but her eyes looked sad. He couldn't tell if she felt sad for him, or for herself.

"You ever feel that, although you're in a room full of people, you feel like you're the only one there?" She said, finally looking over and making eye contact with him

"Nearly every day, kid" He said as she huffed.

"I've felt alone since I moved here. Everyone is so welcoming and kind and I'm grateful for it. But..." She trailed off, taking another drink from her can.

"I thought I'd be happy when I quit my job. I was, my mother even said I looked the brightest I had done since..." Her voice cracked. No, no she was not going to start crying in front of someone she barely knew, this was not a conversation she wanted to have with anyone here. She rubbed her hands over her face, glad that the rain would have covered any stray tears

 

"Ugh. Sorry, you don't want to hear my problems. I-I should probably g-"

"Where did you used to work?" The sudden question had made her jump slightly.

"U-um.. I don't think you'd believe me, honestly" She said meekly. It just seemed too coincidental, having worked at Joja as well. Granted, they were in completely different sections of the company, but it was the same, shit company none the less.

"What, were you something crazy, like a hitman?" He said smiling slightly as she giggled

"N-no! Nothing like that. I-I used to work at Joja too..." She trailed off as Shane looked at her

"No way, you're shitting me. You don't look nearly as dead inside as a Joja worker" He joked and she smiled at him

"Oh trust me, when you work in corporate, you learn to channel your inner bleakness into passive-aggressive post-it notes to your co-workers. It's very therapeutic" She said as Shane chuckled, brushing a handful of hair that had started to stick to his forehead from the rain.

"I'm sure it is" He said, noticing that her shivering had gotten more intense, she hadn't even worn a jacket out here or anything. The air was silent for a moment before Shane dragged himself to his feet.

"Well, my liver's begging me to quit, so I'm calling it a night" He said, picking up the remnants of his six pack before holding his hand out to her "Need a hand up, kid?"

Ophelia hesitated for only a second before taking his hand and being hoisted up quicker than she had expected.

_'He's stronger than he looks'_ She thought, taking her hand back quickly and  smiling softly at him. They walked silently back towards the ranch until they came to the fork in the road that lead up to the farm

"U-um. Thanks. F-for the beer" She stuttered, rubbing her arms, trying to calm the goosebumps from the cold.

"No problem, thanks for uh.. Talking." _'idiot'_ he smiled, giving a small wave as they parted ways, and went back to their respective homes for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

_'Why didn't I wear a jacket last night'_ Ophelia thought, curled up in bed, feeling like death. A headache pounding away at her temples and her muscles ached as though she had ran a marathon just moments ago.

_'I can't be ill. I fucking refuse'_ She thought to herself, trying to push her body up and out of bed despite every bone in her body screaming at her to just lie back down. She slowly made her way into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water before slumping down at her kitchen table.

_'I've got too much to do to be ill'_ which wasn't entirely true, all she really had to do was water her crops, clear a bit more overgrowth and get some more soda. But the thought of leaving the house and facing sunlight seemed like it would be the end of the world. Nonetheless, she finished up her water and begrudgingly dragged herself to the bathroom, a hot shower first. That would help ease the headache and her crying muscles.

Dragging herself out the shower after half an hour, she threw on the loosest clothes she could find, an oversized pull-over hoodie and an old pair of jogging bottoms, not really caring about putting an effort in to how she looked. she grabbed her phone and headphones from her bedside table and flicked through her music and put her earphones in after just deciding to leave it on shuffle. She tied her hair up in a messy bun, slipped her shoes on and left the house.

_'I'll go to Joja first, pick up some more aspirin while I'm there'_ She thought, the walk to the supermarket feeling as though it was double the distance it usually was. As she approached the store she stopped for a second and sighed deeply, taking her earphones out and stopping her music.

"Okay, let's try not to look like you want to injure everyone that looks at you" She told herself, remembering that sometimes when she wasn't having a good day, she tended to have a permanent foul expression. She sighed again, shoving her hands in her hoodie pockets and walked inside.

The cool breeze from the indoor air conditioning was rather refreshing compared to the warm, golden sun outside. Picking up a basket, she made her way over to the drinks aisle, grabbing a bottle of her favourite soda. She looked to the booze wall out of the corner of her eye. She _did_ finish her rum. Even if she wasn't going to drink anything today. It'd be good to know that she had some in the house.

_'I don't need it. I don't, it's as simple as that. I've had enough this past week.'_ this inner monologue with herself went on for a good 5 minutes before she reached out, grabbing the clear bottle off the shelf and putting it in her basket. As she carried on round the store, she picked up some of her go-to illness foods which, she wouldn't lie, was mostly junk food; Chocolate, Crisps, popcorn. She made it a rule that she wouldn't smoke whenever she was ill, the last time she had it just made her feel ten times worse, so she replaces the craving with sugar and for the most part, it works. She moved on to the next aisle, not noticing that Shane had just turned into the same aisle from the other side.

It took him a second for him to realize it was Ophelia, of the few times he had seen her, she had looked so.. tidy. Neat hair, neat clothes etc. But today she looked the complete opposite, crumpled and creased clothes, the bun she had tied her hair into sloping off to one side, and her face looked a shade of pale that reminded him of some of the worst hangovers he's had in the past combined. He stopped halfway up the aisle and put the box he was holding on the floor. He was only a few feet from Ophelia, definitely within earshot. He kneeled on the floor and opened the box, taking out the products, Joja brand shampoo bottles, and started placing them on the shelf in front of him.

Ophelia meanwhile, still entirely oblivious to her surroundings, was deep in thought, trying to remember the strength of aspirin she usually buys, picking a box up and squinting to see the dosage.

"You look like shit" She jumped, almost dropping the aspirin she had just picked up and franticly looked around the aisle before spotting Shane further down and letting out a sigh.

"Thanks. Could say the same about you"

"Yea, well at least with me it's a constant" He said, moving his focus back to the bottles. Was that a compliment? He didn't think so, but it was true, he always looked - and felt - like he'd been dragged backwards through a bush, Ophelia always looked... well, the complete opposite, really. She picked her basket up and walked over, kneeling down next to him to inspect the bottles he was unpacking and she let out a chuckle.

"I used that shampoo once, stained my hands blue for a month"

"Joja products will do that" He muttered carefully, the walls were listening, after all. he glanced at the basket she had placed next to him.

"You having a party?" He asked as she looked at him puzzled, following his line of sight to her sugar and booze filled basket.

"Wh- oh! No, no not at all... I usually stock up on sweets if I'm feeling a bit under the weather"

"And rum?"

"Um.. no.. that's uh. I ran out a few days ago. Honestly I don't really need it. I found a full bottle of whiskey when I was unpacking boxes..."

"So why are you buying it then?" He asked as she fell silent, as if seriously thinking it over before shrugging.

"I dunno, rum and cola's my go to drink, really."

"Fair enough" They fell into silence, after a few moment, Ophelia cleared her throat and stood up slowly, picking her basket up.

"Well uh.. I've still got some stuff to do on the farm. So um... I'll see you later?"

"Sure, whatever" He said, watching her a she waved and walked down the aisle to the tills.

_'Well, I guess she was hung-over when she came over for dinner then.'_ He thought, piecing together that she wasn't drinking just soda at the saloon the night before.

 

Once back at the farm, Ophelia immediately rummaged through her shopping for the aspirin packet, pouring herself a glass of water, popping the pill in the glass and letting it fizz away. She only ever bought the dissolvable kind, never really being able to swallow pills properly since she was a child and had always had either liquid medicines or, in the case of vitamins, those chewy candy vitamins you could find in every drug store. After the aspirin had fully dissolved, she downed the water in a few seconds and left to go check on her crops.

Over the past week, the parsnip seeds Lewis had given her were almost fully grown, looking as though they would be good enough to pull a good amount of cash for them at Pierre's. She had also started growing a some flowers and a small amount of other vegetables, making a small, square plot for jazz and tulip flowers and having planted several rows of cauliflowers and potatoes, which still had a while before they would be ready, but for the meantime, she was pleased with the progress. She watered everything before going into the shed behind the house and taking out some gardening tools. After a lot of trial and error, she realized that she would need more than just a scythe to clear the masses of grass, stone and wood littering the farm.

About 3/4 of the farm was clear at this point, making herself clear a considerable amount each day without fail had proven to be the better path to take. If she had procrastinated doing that then it could have only gotten worse. So she spent the next few hours clearing the area around the worn down greenhouse. She'd love to get that fixed one day, remembering how her grandfather had given her a whole shelf one year to grow flowers on. Once she was satisfied with the amount of work done, the tools were returned to the shed and she went inside for a much needed shower, deciding to spend the evening inside by herself.

Comfortable in her pyjamas, she grabbed a handful of the snacks she had bought and took them into the bedroom, pulling her laptop from the side table as she got into bed. Snacks and a movie, a satisfying way to end the night, she felt.


	10. Chapter 10

It's been 3 weeks since Ophelia moved to Stardew Valley. Figuring out the basics of farming had been easier than predicted, thanks to the help of Marnie and Pierre, as well as the occasional call to mom and dad. Sometimes you just can't beat advice from your parents. Managing to grow a steady stream of crops, she had made a chart of how long specific vegetables grow, planting new ones on specific days so that they'd all be ready to take to Pierre's on the same day to avoid multiple unnecessary trips and was now making a small, yet stable income. To help boost that, she had begun taking short trips to the mines at the top of the mountain, just across from Robin's house. However, dealing with monsters was not really her strong point, so she would only go if she really needed the extra cash, usually if she was planning a long night at the saloon.

Ophelia could now say she had a circle of friends, often spending time with Emily and Haley at their house talking about their hobbies and watching cheesy chick-flicks together. Penny had become an unexpected friend as well after meeting in the library one day while teaching Jas and Vincent, and ended up in a long discussion about their favourite romance books. Despite her efforts to crack Shane's bitter shell, she still hasn't managed to get him to talk, often trying to strike up a conversation at the saloon but to no avail. The only time he ever seemed to talk was when Marnie invited her over, but she felt that he was only talking due to Marnie berating him for being quite while a guest is over. Either way, Ophelia was happy she had fit in with this quaint little community and was enjoying life.

Currently, Ophelia was out on the farm, digging up rows of potatoes that were ready to be sold off, sorting them into two buckets, one with the best of the bunch, which would be sold, and the less perfect and smaller ones would be kept for herself. It was rewarding being able to grow her own food and felt that cooking with ingredients she had loved and cared for tasted a million times better than any frozen Joja meal. Ophelia looked up to see Lewis walking towards her house, waving her over once he had seen her outside.

 

"Hi Lewis, what brings you here today?" She asked, walking up to him with a smile

"Well I just wanted to let you know about the upcoming Flower Dance, it'll be on the 24th in the forest west of the ranch. I figured since you're new, you wouldn't want to miss out on any events"

"A dance? I've never been too good at dancing, but I'll definitely be there!" A laugh from Lewis.

"Well no one is going to force you to dance, it's all optional of course, it's just nice to have everyone together. Anyway, I'll let you get back to work. Oh! The event will start at 9AM sharp, just so you know" Lewis said as Ophelia thanked him as he walked back down the path into town and she finished off her work in the farm.

_'A dance. Wonderful. I bet it'll feel like high school prom all over again'_ She shuddered at the thought.

_'Even if I wanted to dance, I bet everyone already has people they'd rather dance with. But the idea of a small little festival sounds like a nice experience'_ She thought.

 

Once she had finished farming the crops that were ready, she had a wheelbarrow filled with a mixture of potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower and kale, ready to be sold. There was no way she was strong enough to wheel it all the way to Pierre's, so she split them up, putting half in the shipping box by her house and started pushing it into town.

After getting Pierre to help carry the produce into the store and total it up, she left the store with a decent amount of cash, a couple hundred. Lifting up the wheelbarrow handles she started heading back towards the farm but was stopped by a voice in the distance.

"Miss Ophelia!!" A small voice shouted, belonging to Jas as her and Vincent were running up to her, Penny a few steps behind trying to keep up.

"Hey kids, shouldn't you be in school?"

"Nope! We're done for the day! Why have you got that big wheelbarrow?" Vincent asked, peeking inside excitedly as Penny caught up to them.

"Ophelia, I'm so sorry, I was taking the kids home and Jas saw you and ran off and I-"

"It's fine, Penny! They're energetic little kids, they're bound to run around from now and then" She giggled as Jas tugged on her shirt.

"Do you think me and Vincent could fit in your wheelbarrow?"

"Well I think the only way you'll find out is if you hop in!" The kids cheered, quickly scrambling to get in first, both draping themselves across it as Penny watched, a frantic look on her face.

"Oh, Ophelia, I should really get them home"

"I can take them home if you like?"

"I couldn't ask that of you"

"It's fine! I'm offering. Besides, I need to drop by the Ranch today anyway. Marnie said she wanted to see me."

"Well... If your sure..." The kids cheered, excited that they get a ride home as Penny made sure that the kids had everything with them before waving goodbye to them as Ophelia started pushing the wheelbarrow in the direction of Vincent's house.

"So, what did you learn today, you two?" Vincent threw his hands in the air.

"We learnt how to spell big words!"

"Really? That's pretty impressive! What's the biggest word each of you can spell?" Vincent was clearly thinking over this answer hard while Jas raised her hand quickly.

"Oh! I can spell beautiful!" She said excitedly.

"Go on then, show me"

"Okay! Um... B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L... Was that right?"

"Yep! That was great! Vincent, have you thought of a word yet?"

"No..." He said quietly, looking a little bit annoyed before Jas put a hand on his shoulder

"You could spell 'friends' really well earlier on" She said as Vincent perked up

"Yea! I did"

"Alright Vincent, let's hear it" Ophelia said

"F-R-I-E-N-D-S" He spelled, looking up at Ophelia to see if he got it right.

"Perfect! Nice job buddy!" He beamed, pleased with himself as him and Jas him shared a high five.

"Those are both really impressive words, you two. You're both way better at spelling than me when I was your age, and Vincent, I always used to struggle with where 'I' and 'E' used to go, but you seem to have a good understanding"

"'I' before 'E' except after 'C' Miss Ophelia" He said in his best teacher voice. A smug look on his face from the praise as Ophelia came to a halt outside his house.

"Right super smart Vincent, your time on the mega-fun wheelbarrow ride has come to an end" She said as he carefully climbed out, holding onto Ophelia's hand for support.

"Thanks Miss Ophelia! Bye Jas, see you later!" He said as he ran off to his front door, opening it and waving happily at them before going inside.

 

"Right then, just one other super smart kid to get home. Hold on now" She said, picking the handles back up and continued pushing down the path towards the Ranch.

"Y'know, you'd make a good teacher, Miss Ophelia." Jas said, sitting down in the wheelbarrow.

"You think?"

"Yep. You're really nice. You could even be a better teacher than Miss Penny!"

"Oh! I don't think so, Miss Penny is a lot better than me at teaching you, she's a lot smarter than me. Do you want to know a secret?" Jas's eyes lit up and she spun around to look at her.

"Yes! I love secrets!"

"I still use my fingers to count." She said as Jas giggled

"No you don't! All adults are really good at maths!"

"Well I'm not! I've always been bad at it, even since I was your age."

"Was it your Achilles heel in school?" She questioned, remembering the word Ophelia had taught her a few weeks ago and feeling proud every time she got to use it around her.

"Yes, it was. You really got the hang of that!" She said, patting Jas on the head before putting the wheelbarrow down outside the ranch

"Right! let's go see your Aunt Marnie!" Ophelia said, lifting Jas out of the wheelbarrow and onto her shoulders, smiling as Jas laughed, holding on to her head to stay balanced as she took them inside the house. Marnie was stood at the desk in the front room, and smiled brightly as the two walk in.

"Well hello you two! Could Penny not bring you home Jas?" Marnie asked as Ophelia set Jas down on the floor carefully.

"Miss Penny let me come home with Miss Ophelia! She let me and Vincent sit in her wheelbarrow!" She said excitedly, waving her hands around with the overflowing enthusiasm that only a child could have.

"Oh well that sounds exciting! Well go grab a drink and get started on your homework then, I'll be through to help in a moment" Jas gave a salute and ran off to the kitchen.

"You didn't have to bring them home, Ophelia."

"Oh it was hardly any trouble! I used to babysit little kids all the time while I was growing up. Jas and Vincent are some of the sweetest kids I've ever met so it's hardly any effort. Besides, you said yesterday you wanted to see me?" Ophelia asked, leaning against the wall.

"Yes! Oh it's nothing serious, I just wanted to know if you were going to be attending the flower dance this week?"

"I'm not too sure yet. Lewis had just told me about it today. I haven't really made my mind up..." She said nervously.

"It's such a lovely little event. Not everyone wants to dance though which is entirely understandable. But it's such a lovely get together, it's never failed to bring smiles to people's faces." Marnie sighed wistfully, as if lost in a fairy tale.

"Well I never really had the experience of these kinds of things, growing up in the city and all that. It would be nice to see what it's like." Marnie patted her shoulder

"It's such a beautiful event my dear, I really do recommend you coming to it. But listen to me ramble! I better go and help Jas with her homework, I hope I haven't taken you too far away from your work"

"No it's fine, I'm finished for the day. I was just going to spend the rest of the day relaxing."

"Well that sounds lovely, I'll leave you to it then. Have a nice day Ophelia"

"You too Marnie!" They waved each other goodbye as Ophelia left, closing the door behind her. Picking her wheelbarrow up, she began wheeling it back to the farm.


End file.
